What's Golden
by thellairea
Summary: Sequel to Slight Faith. After a year in the Wastelands, Jak and Daxter return to Haven City... Takes place after Jak II. AU. To be continued.
1. Jak is Back

_Jak and Daxter and everything associated with them belong to the wonderful folks at Naughty Dog, of course. This isn't being sold, so I'm sure they'll let me have a bit of fun with their characters._

Heh, heh... I can't believe I've wandered into sequel territory. Slight Faith_ wasn't written with a second part in mind, you see, but I've been wanting to expand upon it ever since that fic was finished. So, really, this will be both a prequel AND a sequel. I've no idea how long it will be. If you haven't read _Slight Faith_, this one might be a bit confusing, so you've been warned. Enjoy!_

* * *

So, here we are, standing before the one place I never wanted to return to. Haven City- my own personal Hell- lay slumbering under a quiet twilight snowfall. Shrouded by winter's mist and delicately lit, it seemed peaceful, serene... innocent, almost.

Damn it!

"Think they'll be happy to see us?" He was standing behind me, sharing the view. Jak's scarf muffled his voice and hid his face, but his tone was unmistakable. He'd been growing more and more excited over the past few weeks, eager to see all our friends again. We've gone a full year in the Wastelands with only each other and the transmissions of Keira's spy flies for company. Even the gadget-girl's inventions don't last forever, though... we'd lost the last of the flies a few months prior, and the zoomer some time before that. 'Bout the only thing still working is Jak's morph gun, and that's because he treats it like his only child.

The Wastelands aren't entirely empty, of course. Otherwise, we'dve run out of ammo for that thing in twelve hours flat, what with Jak's itchy trigger finger and all. There are cities out there... ghost cities, dead towns, collapsed houses abandoned to the hordes a year or a decade or a century before. We wandered from Haven for a full year, and only four times did we come across something that wasn't Metalhead or wild Lurker. Heck, we were lucky to get usable ammo when we DID come across real people! Half of it was too old or weathered to be of any use. Jak hadta resort to kung-fu most of the time, to conserve our supplies. I swear, there's gotta be claw marks in his shoulder plate from me tryin' to hang on!

It was spooky when we did come across people, though. They were scared of us, even terrified. Heh, heh... did I say "us"? I meant "Jak". After all, my soft, fuzzy Ottselness is _truly_ horrifying... Anyway. I mean, back in Haven City Jak never got those looks right away... only afterward. After he'd regained his sanity, trembling from head to toe, covered in blood and ichor and God knows what else. At least those people had some excuse! The people of the Wasteland look at Jak like Erol did... as if he isn't even _human_. Nah, scratch that - even I get those types o' looks. It's as if they look into his eyes and see only Dark Jak-

"Dax?" His voice jerked me back to the present. I gave Haven a final sneer before turning around. I mean, jeez... I'd rather be in the Wastelands than come back here. What does THAT say for the place?! 

Of course, in the Wastelands I get to keep Jak almost all to myself.

"Yeah, I guess we'd better get goin', huh?" I shot Jak a toothy grin, which he presumably returned. We returned to the path, and Jak took on his usual task of trailblazing. Luckily the snow wasn't even knee-high, so it didn't provide much of a challenge. 

I squinted. "Hey, those are the Precursor Ruins to the west... Why don't we head towards 'em? Using the Warp Gate would be way easier than trudging all the way down to the city walls!" 

Jak nodded in agreement. Since Kor's defeat he's grown more silent, more introverted... more like _himself_ again, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Blonde-boy's so excited about seeing Keira again that he doesn't noticed I've been getting quieter, too.

S'okay, though. Can't exactly blame him. No one wanted us to go in the first place. They all told us that to wander into the Wastelands meant certain death. It took nearly an hour for Jak to convince Keira that his intentions to go out there weren't just a joke. When Samos heard, he exploded and vehemently forbade our leaving. Really, he should have learned after Misty Island that we don't listen... 

Not to say that I WANTED to go. I thought the idea was insane, and I told Jak so- in great length, and with many graphic metaphors. All he did was smile at me, and I couldn't figure out _why_ until I overheard one of his conversations with Keira.

"It's just not worth it, Jak!" 

We'd come to her garage to pack the zoomer she'd so reluctantly parted with. She'd pulled him behind the curtain while I toiled uncomfortably on the other side, able to hear their every whispered word. Those Ottsel ears ain't just for decoration, you know.

"Of course it's worth it."

"He's perfectly happy the way he is. why take the risk?"

"Keira, you wouldn't understand..."

"Why wouldn't I understand?!"

"You... don't know what it's like, the Dark Eco." His voice was pained, and I froze. "It's not just his body, it's his _mind_..."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Exactly. He and I are more alike than you know." And with that he pushed aside the curtain, smiling that infectious smile again, pretending to have found some part or other. I grinned back, somewhat in shock, because _he knows, holy hell he knows, I haven't said a thing and he KNOWS how the damned Eco is slowly splitting my mind in half, he knows and he doesn't give a damn, he knows and all he wants to do is help_.

The day we left, there was no one to send us off. Some had said goodbye the night before, others were pissed off at Jak's loyalty to me and refused to say anything.

And now, a year and two weeks to the day, we've returned to Haven City- most definitely alive, and none the worse for wear.

I looked at the Precursor Warp Gate, which was humming quietly, and then to Jak. He grinned like the boy he used to be and leapt through. 

I cursed the falling snow and followed. 


	2. Dax is Less Than Thrilled

Jeez! I can sure play the angstbucket when I wanna, huh?! Okay, Dax, cheer up... Things ain't so bad. Jak's not obsessed with homicide anymore. He risked life, limb and Keira's wrath, just to help _me_. The blonde lunk is happy, so I have no reason to be unhappy...

...Ah, dammit, there I go again! I need to quit the mopin'... Jak's done so much for me, and I keep asking for the impossible. I should be fine with what I've got, 'cause I don't deserve one bit of it! An ungrateful, selfish wretch is what I am. Oi!

After all, he's the only one to stick by me through thick and thin, young and old, Erol and the Dark Eco Super Siblings... He may not remember anything before Sandover, but I remember a time before Jak. Not much, of course - after all, I'm younger than him, and the Kid was around four when we tossed him and the Shadow through that Precursor gate. Y'know, now that I think of it, we could'a saved our younger selves a LOT of grief if we'd kept the young Samos in Haven City... heh heh heh. Neither Jak nor I had parents, and when he and the geezer arrived in Sandover, Samos kinda took charge of both of us. Not in a nice, fatherly way, but in a freakin' DRILL-SARGENT kinda way! Occasionally Jak'd get a grin out of him, but the old man's always hated me. Yeesh. I mean, what's not to love?! 

Aaaaand I'm rambling! Blame Jak for that, too. Havin' a self-imposed mute as your best friend gets a guy used to the sound of his own voice. I blame everything on Jak! It's just easier that way. He knows it's all in good fun, though, or else he wouldn'tve done such a selfless thing for me... 

I love having Jak back. I'm not afraid to rhyme about it, either! Though, ah... nah, I wouldn't really ADMIT that to anyone. The rhyming thing, I mean. I've got my suave reputation to uphold, and cheap rhymes ain't gonna bring in the babes! Heh heh... any person hearing me yap on and on about Jak would think my catcalls and pick-up lines towards the fairer sex were all show, eh? Well, they ain't! How can anyone resist Tess' gorgeous, voluptuous.. ah, lips? 

Yeah, yeah, I'm a perv, I know. Ain't life grand? 

I'm not saying that I don't... _like_ Jak, though. It's just... different. Jak's the person I just NEED to be around, y'know? Those two years between his imprisonment and his rescue... I don't even wanna think about 'em. The first year, especially... 

...Back to the slightly-more-pleasant present.

We've finally reached the Precursor ruins, and luckily enough the warp gate is still runnin'. The ruins themselves were strangely devoid of any Metal Heads, and while that put me on edge Jak didn't even notice. He's practically humming to himself as he looks over the city walls. I hang back again, and this time he notices.

"Dax? Aren't you coming?"

"I, uh..." Rather than address my main concern - namely, that I'll hafta share Jak again - I voice some of my other thoughts. "I'm, ah, kinda nervous." I scratch my head bashfully. "I mean, it's been a long time... I bet the guy'sve been swarmin' all over Tess, and... " My hand drops. "What with that last spy fly transmission... Jak, they must think we're _dead_. Y'know, not that anyone'd care much on my part - in fact, the party the night after they spread the news was probably quite swanky - but what about YOU? You really up to dealing with that tonight?"

I hate to take that smile off his face, but it was all true. We'd been walking for weeks on end, sunrise to sunset, ready to collapse every time the sun went down. I mean, dangit, we're in great shape, but a guy's got his limits! And one could only imagine the wild, night-long party they'd cook up if Jak appeared - I bet it'd only be matched by the insanity of the ol' 'Dax is Dead' bash. Heh heh. Wish I could've crashed THAT one.

Jak looks at me, kinda confused, kinda disappointed. "Point... we can camp here for the night, if you want."

"I asked YOU, big guy! YOU'RE the one I'm wonderin' about - eghh, nevermind. Let's just go. If yer still awake enough to ask MY opinion, we can go." _Damn._

He gives me a quick glance - "You sure?" in Mute!Jakspeak - and jumps through the warp gate. Predictably, I follow. 

We're spat out of the paired gate just in front of the city walls. The door whirrs open to the decontamination-or-whatever-chamber, juuuust like the bad ol' times. We walk up to the inner lock, waiting for it to whirr too... Only problem is, it doesn't.

We stand there expectantly, look at each other, then look back at the door. "Uhhh... Think this one's broken?" I give it an experimental (but intelligently weak) kick.

"_Name, rank and KGID/WID, please,_" the smooth-talkin' lady-computer drones. I've always wondered who they got to record those things... Bet she's a knockout!

"Huh? Listen, lady, we've been gone for a friggin' YEAR! It's Jak and Daxter! Let us in!" I plead, waving my arms around for emphasis. 

"_Please speak more clearly. Name, rank and KGID/WID._"

"Awww, c'mon, babe, we ain't got no kid-wid or whatever!"

"_Well, well, if it isn't the wonder twins,_" The abrupt voice change snapps both Jak and I to attention. "_Guess Samos was right. He's the only one who said we shouldn't hold a funeral yet._" To anyone else, Torn would've seemed bored, even annoyed, but to us he was obviously pleased. 

"HAH! Yeah, right! What're you doin' up at this hour anyway, Captain Bronchitis?! Don't tell me you've been neglecting your manly duties and leaving Ashelin all-"

Jak gives me a well-deserved elbow and looks around. "Doubting me'll never get you anywhere, Torn. You should know that by now. Hey, is there a camera in here?"

"_Heck, no. The Krimzon Guard doesn't have_ that _lavish of a budget. Don't tell me you actually managed to change that rat bastard back..._"

"I'M STILL HERE, TORN!!"

He half-chuckles at my fury. "_Give me a second and I'll open the gate. And you still haven't answered me..._"

Jak smirks. "Wasn't planning on it."

---

For some bizarre reason, Torn's disembodied voice insisted that we head straight for the ol' Underground hideout to get some shuteye. Even when ya know the guy, he's still darn hard to read. For all I know, he could be callin' everyone up and throwing a surprise party with us as the main attraction... or, as the nasty little voice in the back of my head suggested, he might be working up the courage to tell us someone kicked the proverbial bucket.

Jak fell asleep before I did, of course. The familiar stench of Haven City flooded my mind with memories, and they weren't exactly the kind that put you at ease. I woke halfway before morning to find Jak sitting on the edge of his bed... _sobbing?_

"Jak?! What's wrong?!" I bolted upright, nearly braining myself on the bunk above.

He jumped, half turned-away, then looked back at me with tears in his eyes. "Keira... she... she just left."

"What? Torn must've told her we were back... Why'd be leave? What'd she do?!"

He stood up and began to pace between our beds. "She..." Jak took a breath to steady his voice. "She said... it's over. We're through. She found someone... else." 

I raised an eyebrow as he sat down beside me, so close that I could feel his warmth. He turned to look at me almost guiltily. "Dax, I'm sorry, but.." He took another breath. "She's seeing... Tess."

Uuhhh... "Tess?"

"Yeah... Tess. I guess that makes us both very, very single, doesn't it?" He managed a half-smile before his voice broke again. "Dax..."

"Jak?"

"I've got.. something to tell you. Something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time." He scooted closer, and I was quite suddenly blushing. "And now... now that the girls are out of the way... there's nothing to stop me from letting you know. Dax..."

"Yeah, Jak?"

"I've always told myself that I'm crazy, but since I got you changed back I just can't deny myself anymore... I think you're HOT." With that he grabbed me by the shoulders and kissed me fiercely, with the frustration of the past years exploding into such passion that I found my breath taken away. Glad to break in my new, human body in the most enjoyable way possible I returned the kiss, deepening it as the chocolate-covered pair of Keira and Tess cheered in the background -

Goddammit, why are my dreams always so freaking unbelievable?! Well, except for the ones that include Ashelin, because even in my dreams she kicks my ass... Meh. As if Jak would ever feel that way. For my best friend, he's amazingly dense about the ONE THING that matters...

I sigh and roll over, awake and very much a grouch. The hideout's still empty but for me an' the snoring blonde lunkhead, so it must not be dawn yet...

The sound of grinding concrete catches my attention and I turn to see Samos, Torn and Sig walk in. Samos is glaring at me.

It's gonna be a loooong day... 


	3. Tess Provides Optimum Ottsel Comfort

_I'd like to thank everyone for the great reviews so far! You guys make my day. And I'd like to apologize in advance for messing with your heads... I'll hopefully be doing quite a bit of that (Dax's dream was just the start)! Mwahaha! Ooooh, how I love Schizo!Dax... The rating's up to PG, simply because Dax occasionally enjoys swearing._  
  
"Ughhhh. Not YOU. Not so early in the mornin'..." I whimper, throwing a pillow over my head. "C'mon, brain, bring back the my harem of chocolate-covered beauties..."

"Get up, Daxter!" log-noggin barks, "and you too, Jak!"

"Ah, shut your trap, old man," I snap, standing to my full Ottsel height, fur bristling with indignation. "You have NO idea what we've been through, so at least let Jak get some sleep!!"

Torn and Sig stare, obviously surprised to see I'm still fuzzy. "It's a loooong story," I drawl, shooting them my best 'don't-even-ask' look and adding in an eye-roll for extra emphasis. That dream didn't help my mood in regards to my Ottselness, either... ugh.

Torn half-chuckles again - y'know, that's gotta be a RECORD, twice in less than twelve hours! "I see that your little vacation was a complete waste of time."

"No, it wasn't." All four of us turn to Jak, who's sitting up in bed with a rather disgruntled expression. "Look, why don't you get everyone else together, and we'll explain what happened. Let's meet at the Naughty Ottsel in an hour." He blinks sleepily and looks to Torn. "Why didn't we just do this last night?"

"That's my doing, Jak," Samos sighs. "I had to... locate a few people so they could attend the meeting."

Jak raises an eyebrow - 'Oooohkay' in Mute!Jakspeak. "We owe you one, Sig," he then grins, "your advice saved our butts more than once. Now, would you guys KINDLY leave so I can get dressed?"

They avert their eyes, mumble apologies (obviously not realizing that Jak DOESN'T sleep in the buff) and exit in twenty seconds flat. Jak and I throw each other a confused glance - who the heck did Samos have to find? - and get ready.

Dammit, that's another reason I didn't wanna come back... the stares, the questions, the knowing smirks! Ooohkay... Deep breath, Dax. Calm down... Go to your happy place...

TO HELL WITH THAT!! I just LEFT my happy place and arrived back HERE! Oooh, what great memories THIS place has... the stinking sewers... the friendly locals... I glare at Jak as he turns away to find his gloves. DAMMIT! Why does he always hafta be so darn NOBLE?! Everyone save for Tess and Sig thinks I've brainwashed him into helping me! After all, who would ever want to help conniving, cowardly, loudmouth Daxter?! Why the hell would Jak ever stoop so low?!

BECAUSE HE'S GUILTY, YOU IDIOTS!

The one and ONLY reason Blondie's helping me is because HE'S THE ONE WHO TOSSED ME INTO THAT DARK ECO IN THE FIRST PLACE!! I bet high-and-mighty Jak the Hero just can't stand having _that_ failure sit on his resume! One quick trip into the Wastelands - after all, and endless desert of doom is NOTHING for our _saviour_ - and bam, problem solved! Heroic Jak returns to his city, with the simpering, helpless-but-human Daxter trailing behind... Ooooh, look at how very noble he is, Daxter's never done a thing to help him but manly Jak risks life and limb just to-

"Dax?"

"WHAT?!" I snap, voice dripping with venom and hate, spinning around to face... Jak.

Just Jak, with concern in his eyes, a bit hurt at my outburst. _My_ Jak, not some arrogant, archetypical, legendary hero. 

It's been a long time since I lost control of myself like that... guess this city just brings out the best in me.

"You okay, buddy?" Jak asks quietly. He's spent an entire year with me, after all; he knows how I get sometimes. And that's why he wants to help... Not because it'll make him look good, not 'cause he wants to correct the one mistake he's made in his life, but because I'm his best friend and he can't stand seeing me like this.

Like... this. He understands, somewhat - after all, he had that whole Dark Jak thing goin' on. Yeah, had. Ever since the Kid unlocked the Precursor Stone, he's been... err, shall we say balanced? Jak may turn into a killin' machine, but that doesn't mean he goes insane. Not like he used to.

"Uhh..." I take a deep breath. "Yeah. Sure. Shall we get goin'?"

---

Half an hour later and entirely without incident we arrive at the Naughty Ottsel. Lemme tell ya, it's the ONLY part of this stinkin' city I can stand, and that's 'cause it's MINE. Allll mine. Heh heh heh heh. Krew was at least useful for SOMETHING in the end!

"Think Tess'll be disappointed?" I sigh from my shoulder-perch, straightening my googles. "After all, I promised 'er I'd have a studly new body by the time I got back..." I glance up at the giant-sized Ottsel-me. "Y'know, not that I'm not studly enough NOW, but the whole cross-species thing doesn't really do it for me..."

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" he grins, jabbing a finger over his shoulder. We both turn to see her jogging up. Ahhhh, how I love it when she runs... 

"Jak! Oh, and DAXTER!" she squeals, clapping her hands together in such obvious joy that I'm struck dumb. I'm just not _used_ to this kinda greeting! With most people, it's 'Oh, so you're not dead yet, Daxter' or 'What's with the scrawny rat on your shoulder?' or 'Jak, you STILL hang around with that guy?!' 

Y'know... I COULD get used to this.

"Hey, sweetcakes!" I wink, jumping from Jak's shoulder to hers. "Been keepin' busy while I was away?"

Instead of answering, she turns to Jak and flutters her eyelashes. (Man, most of that girl's body could be used either as hypnotizing tools or lethal weapons!) "Could you go and open up the Naughty Ottsel, Jak? Dax and I need to... catch up on some things." 

"Uhhh... sure," he stutters, an easy target for Tess' charms.

"So, Dax," she chirps as Jak walks out of earshot, holding me gently out at arm's length, "did you tell him?!"

"Eh?" I cock my head. "What'cha talkin' about, sugar?"

"Awwww, c'mon," Tess coos, cradling me up to her delightfully soft bosom- which starts me to thinking, y'know, maybe being an Ottsel ain't so bad after all, and- "You know what I mean, Dax!" -it's so _warm_ sittin' here, and she's even scratching my ears, and it's just- "You must've told him how you feel, you've been-"

I blink, coming slightly out of my perverted stupor. "Ehhh?"

"You've been gone a YEAR," she smiles, "so you MUST'VE told Jak you love him, right?"

I can actually _hear_ my fragile little mind snapping. "WHA?! HOW?! YOU?! HUH?!" Twitching, a seizure, I think I'm having a SEIZURE and Tess drops me out of surprise, I land and bounce and go limp not unlike a stuffed toy - "buh-buh-buh" - then again I practically AM one and oh I'm still thinking so I guess I'm not dead or totally insane and why am I going insane again? 

"Dax??" Tess looks down at me from quite a favourable angle, but I'm in no mood to enjoy it because it all comes rushing back- BY THE GREAT YAKKOW IN THE SKY, SHE KNOWS!!

"I- I- I-... you..." I concentrate on stopping the twitching, maybe when that stops I can actually try to stand up... "How?? How'd you know?! Who else kno- I mean, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!!"

"Oh, Daxter, you haven't told him, have you?" she says softly, scooping me up off the concrete and rubbing my head absently. "Are you gonna wait until you're returned to your body?"

My eye won't stop twitching! JEEZ! "What makes you think I... I... I LIKE Jak like that?!"

"Dax," she says sternly, "I know I'm not the brightest bulb around, but there are some things I'm never wrong about. Call it women's intuition." She starts cuddling me again, and slowly but surely I start to calm down. "I think I'm the only one who realizes it, though."

"You're the only one who pays any attention to me, that's why," I grumble, not even bothering to deny it anymore. 

She giggles. "Jak pays attention to you."

"Not enough, apparently."

"Awww, I can't WAIT 'til you get changed back, you'll make the CUTEST couple!" she squeals happily, hugging me with such a death-grip that all the air is forced from my lungs.

"That AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!" I snap, suddenly furious again. "He's happy JUST the way he is, with Keira as his precious trophy-gal, and I ain't gonna do a THING to change that!!"

Tess looks down at me, sympathy written all over her face. "Oh, Dax," she breathes, giving me a gentle squeeze, "I'm sorry."

"Y'better be," I mumble, curling up in her arms. Warm... soft... To hell with the meetin', I think I'll stay riiiiiight here.

---

"So that's the 'Precursor Palace'?" I squinted in the desert sun, trying to spy any details of the huge building shimmering about a mile to the west. "What with the heat, it looks like it's floatin'..." Leaning on Jak's head, I turned back to our guide. "Pretty uncreative name, though! I mean, why couldn't you call it the 'Forbidden Precursor Temple of Certain Death? That would REALLY get the message across!"

Jak chuckled silently whilst the guide shot me a nasty glare. "I took you guys this far and I'm not going a STEP closer. That place is a death trap, and you two are absolutely insane for wanting to go there."

"Buddy, EVERYONE thinks we're insane," I exclaimed, gesturing wildly, "and yet, somehow, we're still alive! Funny how that works, eh?"

"Listen, I've done my job. Would you pay me so I can go, already?" The guide was shifting his weight, obviously ill-at-ease. It was pure LUCK that we'd found him in the first place. We'd wandered the desert for weeks, 'cause the last villagers we met had claimed there was another settlement out there, wayyyy out to west. The main reason we followed their guesses, though, was 'cause of the stories they told around the campfire... Tales of a strange, liquidy, white-hot beam of light that pierced the sky not half a year ago... 

At first we thought the twitchy villagers were just tryin' to get rid of us, but we'd left Haven around six months prior. Now, unless those villagers suffered from some bizarre chronic disorder that caused every one of 'em to get dates wrong, that light showed up around the time of Kor's defeat. Around the time the last Precursor was freed. 

Innnnteresting. 

So we set off towards the setting sun, in search of the savior of my sanity. (A POET, I TELLS YA!) Oi. BAD IDEA. 'West' really ain't very specific, and it took us nearly TWO MONTHS before we stumbled across a rag-tag camp of_ maybe _forty people. Okay, scratch that - they were Wastelander to the core, and got the drop on us. They were desperate for help, though. In return for a week of Jak's Metal Head butt-kickin' services (AND three Precursor orbs) they agreed to lead us to the light's source. Thankfully, they were true to their word. One unlucky guy was chosen to be our guide, and we set off in search of quote unquote ADVENTURE!

"That place is where the Metal Heads have been congregating," our guide said sourly. "The Wasteland's nearly empty, 'cause they're all flocking HERE." He turned to Jak and I. "Now, my payment?"

Jak handed him the three orbs. "We should be able to reach there by nightfall, right?"

"Not with those Metal Heads swarmin' around. You're stocked up on ammo?"

"Of course."

"What a waste. You're just gonna die anyway." The guy sighed. "Well, it was nice knowin' ya. Thanks for your help, and may the Precursors have mercy on you."

"Well, isn't HE the optimistic one," I sneered as he started the trip back to the relative safety of the camp. "Psshaww. He don't know our track record! We're unbeatable!"

The words weren't even out of my mouth when the skies clouded over. Jak and I glanced once at each other before all hell broke loose. The masses blanketing the sun weren't clouds, but rather swarms of Metal Heads, and as they began to drop down on us countless more pored out from cracks in the ground. Jak tore the hoverboard from his back and tried to flee, but everywhere we turned there were more, too many, way too many... One monster grabbed the hoverboard by its teeth, snapped it like a piece of driftwood, and that sent us both flying... 

"DAX!" I turned my head, vision skewed, to see Jak kneeling on the ground, cradling one bloody arm. "THE GUN!"

I turned the other way, saw the gun, managed to grab it just before an immense Metal Head foot crashed to the ground. Barely able to hold the thing with shaking hands, I started shooting in every possible direction... Jak ducked in beside me, and the Dark Eco from the dead creatures soaked into his skin. 

"DAXTER!" 

His voice was so panicked that I stole a glance, continuing to shoot into the horde... Not that it mattered anyway, there were so many I couldn't possibly miss. The Eco was streaking towards him, limitless, and the look of utter horror on his face turned my stomach to lead.

"It's... I can't.. I can't control... DAX!" With that he screamed, and the noise sent the Metal Heads a step back, if only for a second. "Run," he choked, though it was more of an growl than any actual word, and then the life and sanity in his eyes began to dim. Jak arched his back in pain as claws erupted from his fingertips, and screamed again when the horns burst from his skull.

I stared up at him as though hypnotized, dropping the gun, and the Metal Heads began to cautiously close in on us. Dark Jak took one ragged breath and leapt into the air. He slammed his palm into the ground as he dove back down, cracking the earth and sending out wave after wave of dark energy...

It took out the Metal Heads like so many paper dolls, and the initial wave rushed past me not unlike a chill wind. Just as I began to wonder why, why it hadn't affected me at _all_ the second wave hit, and it felt like my head had cracked open. I stumbled back, dazed, unable to think or breathe as the Dark Eco finished its job and split my mind in two.

The third wave knocked us over but did little else. We laid there on our back, one half of our mind idly pointing out the Eco streaming over our head while the other was shrieking curses, until both sides realized that the world had gone silent.

That silence was broken by halting, unsure footsteps, making their way towards us.

"Jak," one half said.

"Bastard," the other spat.

We didn't realize he was still dangerous until he leaned over us, eyes bottomless and devoid of anything resembling sanity. While one half of our mind whimpered, the other reached for the gun.

One half sighed in relief as the madness began to drain from his eyes.

The other aimed the gun right between them.

"Daxter...?"

One half smiled at Jak.

The other pulled the trigger.

---

"GYAHHHH!!" I leap from Tess' arms straight onto the bar, heart beating like a drum against my small and furry chest. "That... THAT..."

"Glad to see you've joined us," Samos growls.

I look around, heart rate slowly dropping as I realize just where I am. Dim lighting, brightened only by neon signs... Smoky interior... Big huge nasty Kor head... The Naughty Ottsel... the meeting. Of course. Tess must've carried me here. Everyone - log-noggin, Torn, Sig, Ashelin, Tess, Keira, Jak - is staring at me with a combination of amusement and concern. 

"Nightmare, Dax?" Jak asks, the most concerned of the bunch.

"Ooooh, yeah." I shiver, mind racing to think of some excuse... "Get this - _Krew in a speedo_." Ew. That'll work.

Everyone's concern is quickly replaced with disgust. Whether it's directed at my behavior or at the very thought of Krew in swimwear, I dunno, but hey, it gets the attention AWAY from me and back to the meetin', and that's what counts!

Note to self: do _not_ fall asleep again, no matter _how_ boring this darn meeting gets. 


	4. God Hates Daxter

_Wow... it's been a year and a half since I posted the last chapter. Heh. Forgive me, I get sidetracked by college and life and other such things. Anyway, seeing as Jak 3 is now out and all, this is very Alternate Universe. Heck, it was to begin with. Anyway, on with the show!_

I've obviously slept through all the greetings, 'cause no one's fawning over Jak's overwhelming alive-ness. In fact, if anything, most of the group seems rather... _cold_. Sig and Tess are chattin' it up while she mixes drinks, but everyone else stays remarkably quiet. Guess they're still pissed off...

Especially Keira. She's not even _looking_ at Jak, and he doesn't seem to know what to make of it. Finally, after who-knows-HOW-many years she's changed her clothes, showin' even more skin than before. While I can certainly appreciate the view - that girl's got some dangerous curves, baby! - it worries me at the same time... She's even started tattooing her ears! Jeez! What, has she started her teenage rebellion late or somethin'!

"Now that everyone's CONCIOUS," Samos barks, "let's begin."

"Okay." Jak takes a deep breath. "Here goes."

---

"That place is where the Metal Heads have been congregating," our guide said sourly. "The Wasteland's nearly empty, 'cause they're all flocking HERE." He turned to Jak and I. "Now, my payment?"

Jak handed him the three orbs. "We should be able to reach there by nightfall, right?"

"Not with those Metal Heads swarmin' around. You're stocked up on ammo?"

"Of course."

"What a waste. You're just gonna die anyway." The guy sighed. "Well, it was nice knowin' ya. Thanks for your help, and may the Precursors have mercy on you."

"Well, isn't HE the optimistic one," I sneered as he abandoned us for the relative safety of the camp. "Psshaww. He don't know our track record! We're unbeatable!"

The broken terrain leadin' up to the Precursor Palace made us wish sorely for our zoomer, which had croaked not too long before. We made do with the hoverboard, though- in fact, Jak had a heck of a good time catchin' air off random boulders further on. Still, we approached with as much caution as we could muster. The Wastelanders had been absolutely TERRIFED of this place, and it would have to be something major to scare _those_ nutjobs.

By the time twilight fell, we'd reached the palace without encountering a single Metal Head. Now, of course, in tense situations like this I have to keep my cool, 'cause Jak? Pshaw! The guy dissolves under pressure!

"_I can feel them watching me_!" I hissed. Jak jumped at the sound - I stand VERY close to his ear, after all - and I hadta grab his hair to stay on my perch. He shot me a dirty look, then turned back to his examination of the palace doors.

The place reminded me most of the Forbidden Jungle temple, wayyy back from our Sandover days, only... bigger, shinier, _grander_ in every way possible. It loomed hundreds of feet into the air, towering over the Wasteland peaks that surrounded it, reflecting the last few rays of the setting sun. It had surprised the heck outta us, 'cause when we were first approaching we'd thought it WAS a mountatin. Precursor metal, after all, is practically the color of dirt, and the shimmering heat of the deep Wasteland had completely disguised the place. It wasn't visible at night, either - unlike previous Precursor crap we'd seen, it had no exterior lighting. I'd be willing to bet the Naughty Ottsel that we were the first ones to stand before its dark and gloomy gate in centuries. The silence was eerie. Cliched, I know, but true. It felt like we were standing before a tomb.

Then again, in a way, we were.

EXTRA CORN POINTS!

"We need blue eco to open this door," Jak said, quite suddenly, and this time _I_ jumped.

"JEEZ! A little warning next time!" I huffed, scanning the landscape for any sign of Metal Head-ness. "Y'know, this is downright creepy! Where're all those monsters the guide was talkin' about!"

"I don't know... But I don't think they're inside the palace. This seems to be the only way in, and it's still locked." Jak furrowed his brow. "I wonder if Metal Heads could channel eco... Well, in any case, there's no sense in stopping for the night now. We've got one heck of a shelter here, so we might as well use it."

"So we look for some blue eco?"

"Yeah." Jak laughed. "Just like the good ol' days."

The eco vent was easy to spot in the moonlight, and I suppose that put us at ease. Just me an' Jak, findin' eco and opening Precursor doors, not a Metal Head in sight. It was the first time we'd actually SEEN any color of eco but dark since Sandover- heck, it was the first time we'd seen an eco vent in almost three years!

By the time we raced inside the palace, Jak crackling with blue energy, we'd all but forgotten our guide's warnings of imminent death. How could anyone blame us? It was like we were kids again! We'd been tired and ready to call it a night, but now there was no way we could sleep. We traversed floating Precursor platforms, leapt over bottomless pits, carefully timed swims across electrified moats...

And then, quite suddenly, we were there.

The passageway opened up into a circular hall, lined with pillars, the ceiling fading into darkness overhead. The shadows were broken only by a small, softly glowing pool in the centre. The pool itself was bubbling gently, shimmering with a pearlescent light...

_White eco_.

"It's beautiful," Jak breathed, taking a single, reverent, cautious step forward. His words echoed throughout the sanctum.

"HOLY MOTHER OF MAR, WE ACTUALLY FOUND IT!" I shrieked- err, rather, yelled - bouncing on Jak's shoulder like a sugar-high schoolgirl - uhh, I MEANT, like the STUDLY BEAST I AM.

Jak took another step foward. The eco flared up in response, its light bouncing and refracting off the Precursor metal adorning the hall, eventually illuminating various carvings and hieroglyphs etched into the walls.

"C'mon, Jak! Get out the spy fly! If THIS ain't worth draining the batteries, then I don't know WHAT is!" I raced out to the edge of the pool and struck a pose. "HURRY UP, JAK!"

He laughed and reached into his pack. We'd been saving the spy fly for either grand events or dire emergencies, 'cause the rusted piece o' scrap had seen better times. "Yeah, I think this is definately worthy." He pushed a button and tossed the thing into the air. It came to life with a grinding whirr, sand choking the gears, and began to circle us.

"HEY! YO! WHO'S THERE!" I yelled.

"_Ehhh... What? Daxter? Jak? Where ARE you?_" A sleepy Keira happened to be standing watch over the transmission equipment.

"Remeber that light we told you about, sweetcakes?" I grinned while Jak rolled his eyes, "that white light?"

"_Well, yeah. What, did you guys find the source?_"

"Sort of! TURN ON THE VIDEO FEED!" A small, sputtering LED came to life on the fly, but it was Keira's gasp that REALLY let us know the video'd been activated.

"_That's - you - you actually FOUND white eco, and in pure form! You didn't have to meld anything!_"

"Nope! The 'Daxter Goes Live' TV special is about to start! Gather your friends AND relatives, ladies and gentlement, for this truly MOMENTOUS occassion! And don't forget to stop by the Naughty Ottsel for the party afterwards! Warning: I'm not wearing any pants! Buy war bonds!" I smirked, saluted, then turned to the pool, crouching, pouncing -

"_WAIT, DAX!_"

I froze at Keira's urgency, teetered on the edge, and almost fell uncerimoniously into the vat before Jak grabbed my tail. He looked up at the spy fly, annoyed and confused. "What?"

"_Let me get my father... eco THAT concentrated could be fatal!_"

"If dark eco didn't kill him, then why the heck would WHITE?"

"Ahhh, don't worry 'bout it, Jak," I drawled, absently buffing the leather of my gloves. "I do love an audience!"

"_Give me a second, I'll go wake up Daddy..._"

Jak sighed.

---

Keira suddenly stands up, knocking her drink over, looking _anywhere_ but at Jak as she interupts his recap. "I just remembered, I didn't turn off the gas to my welder! I need to go turn it off before someone lights a match! Sorry!" She backs up a few steps as she talks, then turns tail and jogs straight out the door.

Jak looks to me, utterly bewildered, raising both eyebrows and scrunching up his left eye while his mouth twitches ever so slightly - "What the hell was that?" in Mute!Jakspeak.

DAMMIT, KEIRA, you're the OBVIOUS LOVE INTREST! You're not SUPPOSED to do things like this! Blondie's alive, all is well, you're supposed to be clingin' to him like a freakin' barnacle! Ughhh... guess Dax has to save the day. I do that a lot, y'know.

"Jak, you keep on yappin' an' I'll go fetch yer eye candy!" I wink. Everyone groans in exasperation whilst I resolutely follow Keira out the door.

---

The spy fly gently touched down on a block near the pool, powering down to save what was left of its batteries. Jak and I took turns skipping rocks over the eco (which, by the way, really didn't work too well). We discovered that, if you stare at it long enough, white eco's bright enough to burn into your cornea and leave you seein' neon-colored spots. We'd begun to nod off (due to the the excitement of counting random pebbles on the floor, no doubt) when the fly sputtered back to life.

"_Jak? Daxter_?"

Our heads snapped towards the fly. "What?"

"_...Daddy says he has no idea._" We groaned in unison before she continued. "_He says to go ahead anyway-_"

"_-because Daxter can't possibly get any WORSE!_" Samos finished with a growl.

I twitched. "You're just jealous that I'm gonna be taller than you again, gramps!"

"Daxter..."

I turned to Jak, alarmed by the urgency of his whisper. He was looking up. I followed suit.

Hundreds of Metal Heads were crawling down the walls. _Hundreds_ of 'em. Oh yeah... I suppose that White Eco stream would have had to pop out of the temple somewhere. Great. By the time Jak grabbed his gun, they had us surrounded. Pinchers clicking, antennae waiving, mouths salivating... They began to close in like some kind of dark shadow, pressing and heavy, forcing us to back away. Jak's eyebrows forrowed together as his eyes darted madly around the room, searching for something, ANYTHING that could help us - but Metal Heads coated every available surface. There was nothing save a pebble or two left at our feet. His breathing grew ragged as he fully realized just how much trouble we were in. We didn't have enough ammo left for even half of them, and that was if every bullet yielded a kill shot. The panic spread slowly but surely across Jak's face, and the sick yellow glow from the advancing creeps' skull gems did the same.

"_Jak..._" Keira's voice whispered from the fly.

He slipped on the edge of the vat, forgetting about the pit behind us, and the Metal Heads pressed forward eagerly at this sign of weakness. He gained footing almost immediately and began to empty rounds into the mass of enemies, piercing our ears with both their death screeches and the shots of the gun. The eager ones backed off again, but only to prepare for a running leap... One slipped on a lucky pebble and tumbled straight past us into the vat, slipping underneath the pearly surface with hardly a ripple.

It didn't come back out.

Jak fired madly into the swarm as blobs of Dark Eco seeped into his body. Several of the lesser creatures sprang upon him- startled at their courage he dropped the gun, grabbing blindly- and one tried to latch onto his face. He pried that one off, taking in ragged, panicked breaths, and when he saw the Metal Heads drawing ever closer his eyes flashed black. With a primal roar, he became the monster the Baron had always meant him to be- savagely powerful and frighteningly sane.

"Hold on," Dark Jak grunted. I barely had time to react before he leapt into the air and crashed the palm of his hand to the ground. Waves of cold purple energy followed cracks that rippled from the site, almost in slow motion, but they didn't spread nearly far enough. A few of the Metal Heads shoving their way forward had makeshift weapons of their own. They tossed aside the underlings blasted back into the crowd like so many rag dolls, took careful aim, and fired nearly in unison upon Dark Jak.

The explosion of yellow Metal Head energy knocked me clean off Jak's shoulder. I arced into the air, my mind racing - _grab something, break your fall, hold onto Jak_- but a split second later my tiny Ottsel body glanced off a cracked chunk of Precursor tile. I landed on the floor with a not-so-soft thud just in time to watch Dark Jak fall backwards, arms trailing limp at his sides, into the White Eco pool. He, too, made only the tiniest of ripples as he slipped beneath the liquid.

"Jak! JAK!" I quickly righted myself, only to be tossed aside as a floor tile flipped up underneath the weight of a Metal Head's claws. They clustered around the pool, making strange noises and acting as though even the light of the Eco was painful. They obviously wanted to make certain Jak was dead.

Seconds ticked by... nothing happened. The heavy breathing of the Metal Heads masked my own, but they seemed too wary to close in any further. The surface of the pool remained calm, cool; my heart beat faster as the Metal Heads grew more impatient. I'd been thrown some distance so I slowly, surely crawled my way back through the monsters' legs to the edge of the vat. Unfourtunately, although none of them noticed me, I noticed too late that my tail was dragging across some Metal Head toes. They twitched, they twitched again, and then out of reflex kicked out -

- and tossed me straight over the pool. My vision filled with glaring, brilliant white as I neared the Eco- _will I turn human? Will they murder me as soon as I do? Will I ever get to snuggle in Tess's cleavage again!_

Before I could react, two shining white arms reached out and caught me.

Light Jak burst out of the pool just before I hit the surface, splashing the nearest Metal Heads with White Eco. Their shrieks of pain quickly gave way to the roar of air as I realized that we hadn't only jumped, we were _flying_. Jak held me tightly to his chest as beat his strange, tendril-wings faster, picking up speed, leaving the horrors of the Palace behind.

We burst out the top of the highest tower, and as I looked below I realized a small stream of Eco had followed us. It too burst from the opening and pierced the sky with light, and in a daze I thought _so that's how it happened_.

I looked back to Light Jak. He was slowing down, tiring, flying back towards the Wastelander camp. His breathing sped up as his wingbeats grew more laboured. Jak was nearly translucent - I swore I could see the moon through his body - and he was beautiful, glowing with the unearthly light of the White Eco. That glow began to wane as he tired, and Light Jak started to descend from the incredible height we'd reached.

Suddenly his light left completely; it shattered into a thousand, fading pearls, and we fell.

---

"Keira! Gadget-girl! What's the deal? Wait up!"

By the time I catch up to her, tears are streaming down Keira's face. She quickly wipes them away before glancing back at me. "Leave me alone, Daxter."

"To HECK with that!" I leap on her shoulder totally unannounced, but to my surprise she doesn't flick me away. "I mean, I'm sure us showin' up is a shock and all, but aren't you the least bit happy we're back? Alive? Kickin'? Or, rather, aren't you glad _Jak's_ back?"

"I..." She looks at the ground. "Of course I am..."

I frown. "Then why the CRAP are you running away?"

"It's..." For a second, she seems to be ready to spill the beans. But then she glances at me, and her eyes turn to steel. Sigh, I can never get anything outta her when she's like this... "Listen, Daxter, I've got to go turn off that gas tank. I won't be long, my garage isn't far."

She gives me a light push, and grudgingly I leap off her shoulder. "Fine! You wanna play it that way! Well, I'M not going to tell you about any of OUR adventures in the Wastelands! SO THERE!" I mean, can you believe the nerve of this girl! Yeesh. I righteously snort, turn around, and start walking back to my bar.

I saunter in just as Jak is finishing up the tale - how the Wastelanders saw the light in the sky and, expecting a meteorite or some crap, found Jak and I instead. Jak was more than half dead, and I was hardly better. Falling from the sky like a sack of bricks will do that to ya. I'm still not quite sure _why_ the Wastelanders bothered to nurse us back to health. They'd warned us. We went anyway and had suffered the consequences, and in their opinion anything that could no longer earn its keep was to be tossed into the desert and forgotten.

I suspect the ladies couldn't bear the thought of a world without Daxter!

"So," Jak concludes, "as soon as I was able to walk we packed up and came back."

Samos strokes his beard thoughtfully. "Interesting..."

"That doesn't make any sense. We killed their leader. They have no unity. All the Metal Heads around here are dying off from the in-fighting," Torn growls.

"And, uhm, _why_ would they be after that Light Eco?" Tess frowns, scrunching up one eye as she does, her voluptuous chest lightly rising and falling with her bre-

"OW!" I glare at Jak, who'd smacked me when he noticed my eyes dipping down ever further.

"I don't know," the big guy says, ignoring me completely. "They seemed to want it, very very badly. They're just too stupid to know how to get it. When we showed up they didn't jump us right away. They were probably waiting to see if we could do anything with it..."

Torn scowls. It's his default expression, though, so take it as you will. "What do you expect us to do about it?"

"Well..." Jak leans back on his bar stool, tilting his head to the ceiling. "I was thinking we should get that eco out of there, _before_ they do."

"I don't think that's possible right now, Jak." Samos's little bird cocks its head, and the geezer taps his fingers the gnarled wood staff he always carries around. "You see, our forces are spread rather... thin."

My sidekick lifts an eyebrow.

"There's an army of lurkers approaching from the north," Sig grunts, nearly spilling his drink as he gestures wildly. "Nothin's been able to hold them back so far, and they should reach Haven City within the week."

Jak and I stare at him disbelievingly. "_Lurkers_? You guys are having trouble with LURKERS? Yeesh! We were taking out those things when we were kids, and the ones around THESE days seem to have developed an extra "love love hug" gene!" I pat Jak reassuringly on the head. "Well, aren't you glad we're back, then. This'll be like taking candy from a Hiphog."

"You don't understand, Daxter." Ashelin's eyes pierce me like a knife, and I shrink back. She lifts up her right hand. I hadn't previously noticed that it was covered in bandages. She begins to unravel them and my mind wanders, thinking it would be _much_ nicer if she'd be peeling off certain other pieces of clothing...

Jak's gasp snaps me back to reality. Ashelin's arm is covered in painful-looking purplish burns, which only reminds me of-

"Dark Eco?" Jak says, bewildered. "Was that caused by..."

She silently wraps her arm back up. "I went north to check out the rumors myself. They're... they're not really Lurkers anymore. They're mutated, twisted..." Ashelin shook her head as if trying to clear her thoughts. "I ran into one at our northern waystation. The place had already been destroyed, I'd found what was left of our guards there. This Lurker was injured, apparently left behind to die by the rest of the group. It surprised me and managed to grab my arm before I got a shot off. Didn't hold me for long, though," she says darkly, and I wonder how much was left of that poor creature when she was done with it.

Then, suddenly, it clicks.

Haven City is in Big Trouble. Coincidentally, its saviour has returned.

My precious White Eco is stuck the opposite end of the map, surrounded by thousands of Metal Heads and hundreds of miles of wasteland.

I'm not getting changed back anytime soon.


End file.
